A decade of professional graphic and web design became the foundation for the UX work I do today. I've crafted user experiences across a wide range of media and physical locations including websites, kiosks, interactive training programs, web and native apps, SaaS and more.

UX design is the ultimate field for a middle-brained thinker like me; its a combination of data-driven strategies, creative problem solving and quality graphics. But of course great UX design is so much more than visuals; it solves problems for your users, removes unnecessary complexity, tells your brand story, improves conversions, and ultimately makes for happy customers; which, in turn, makes for happy stakeholders!

The LogoGarden UX

OVERVIEW: The core of this SaaS product is a do-it-yourself logo design tool. I was involved from the inception when founder John Williams hired me to help craft the entire UX. Over time the product evolved and eventually included many additional features. I also headed up the UX design on new product lines, including a DIY business card designer and a DIY website builder. The entire process underwent dozens of design iterations based on analytics data and user testing results as we fine-tuned the system for maximal conversions.

The UX begins at the home page of the site where the user is encouraged to start designing their logo. Then they go through a 3-step process where they choose their industry, choose a symbol, and then create their logo by adding text, color and effects. They are then prompted to create an account to save their free logo. Once they confirm their email address they can access their free logo from their account page, where they are also shown their logo displayed on other available products. The user then has the option of going through multiple other processes to create new products using the logo they designed.

CHALLENGES: The challenges on this project were myriad: The core user is an entrepreneur / small business owner, the majority of whom are not terribly tech-savvy, nor very design savvy. Yet the process of designing a logo online requires the use of technology and design skills. So we needed to build a UX that would lead users simply and easily through the somewhat complex process of creating a logo, and do what ever we could to ensure that the logo they create looks at least decent.

The specific challenges included decisions like how many design options do we give the user? We want them to have the freedom to design what they want, but not overwhelm them with so many options they get design paralysis and never finish the process. Most users have very limited experience in graphic editing programs such as PhotoShop and Corel Draw, so how do we develop useful design tools they can easily and quickly understand? Where in the design process do we require the user to create an account? Where in the process do we show them other production options? etc.

BOTTOM LINE: Over a million users have now made logos on this system - many that even look professional! Because of the success LogoGarden was able to secure VC funding and land some big corporate partners including Web.com.

The Express UX

OVERVIEW: Express Pull'N'Save is a self-service used auto parts facility with two locations in Middle Tennessee. They do a tremendous amount of business and were looking for ways to improve UX both online and at their physical locations. We ended up also designing a streamlined and upgraded UX for their staff as well.

We began with a series of intense scoping meetings in which we walked through the steps a typical retail customer takes; arriving on site, doing a parts/vehicle search on a kiosk, paying a lot fee, visiting the yard to find the vehicle and part(s) they are after, and purchasing the parts they want. Through that process we made a number of UX improvements - from signage to software - that allowed users to more quickly find what they are looking for. We also added some new features such as the ability to simultaneously search inventory at both locations, the ability to save vehicles to a wish list, and tying in on online search functionality.

CHALLENGES: The customer UX was a pretty streamlined process and went smoothly. What we didn't expect is that there were parts of their internal operations that were in serious need of upgrading as well. So in addition to the customer-facing components, I also designed an entire UX for their staff. It included a custom POS system and a custom app for use on wireless tablets that allowed the yard staff to easily add new vehicles, print bar codes, and manage their current inventory. These inventory changes and updates are immediately available online and at the kiosk. I also designed smart phone web app to streamline their process of bidding on vehicles at auction.

BOTTOM LINE: We brought a dusty, rusty junkyard into the modern age, saving them lots of man hours, improving their customer satisfaction and retention, and increasing sales by giving the users easier and more effective access to their inventory.

The Franktown Rocks UX

OVERVIEW: FranktownRocks.com is a music-based Massively Multi-player Online Game, otherwise known as an MMOG or virtual world. Its an online game for kids 8-12 years old in which they create a character, walk around the city of Franktown and interact with other players in real time. This was a game that I designed and developed from the ground up and it ended up being one of the most complex, challenging and therefore fun UX designs I've ever been involved with for two reasons:

The entire experience needed to be so simple an 8-year old could figure it out. One of the first things we discovered in our testing and research was how rare it is for parents to be with their kids during the kid's online gaming sessions.

They key to success was a lot of icons, colors, and simple text. It all began with the account creation process which, because of COPPA laws, we needed to be very strict about. We wanted the fun to start immediately, even before the user got to the game, so creating an account needed to be fun, engaging and easy to complete. During this one step our young user was asked to choose an animal type, a house type, name their animal, pick a password, and (if they have them) enter a coupon code and/or a friend code (which is part of a referral program). So understandably this is the section of the UX we spent the most time on, and the section which underwent the most iterations based on user feedback and conversion metrics.

CHALLENGES: Each of the 11 main systems of the game introduced its own complex set of UX challenges. For example, clothing. Players can use their Franks (play money) to purchase clothing for their character. So we needed to design and streamline the entire process for browsing and selecting clothing (tops, bottoms, head-wear, footwear, and accessories), purchasing the items, storing them in the user's account, and allowing the user to change their character's current clothing. The entire UX ended up including 5 separate UIs that needed to be streamlined and cohesive while keeping it all fun to do, and simple enough for a child to figure out.

BOTTOM LINE: The game grew quickly as we carefully monitored a number of key metrics and were constantly making improvements and providing conversions. At the time we sold Franktown Rocks the game had over 2 million registered accounts.

The BURSTClub UX

OVERVIEW: BURSTClub is a subscription-based fitness website which features a unique workout approach called B.U.R.S.T. - Body's Ultimate Response Shock Training. They offer several different workout programs which are all accessible via any Internet-connected device: desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone.

After establishing a strategy for the product and the brand, the first step was to give the website a complete graphic overhaul. At its core BURSTClub is a subscription-based online workout program that leads the customer through a program of short, intense interval workouts. So the focus was on UI/UX as much as the graphics. The goal was to make the process of joining as clean and smooth as possible to encourage signup conversions. And also to make the customer experience as fun and engaging as possible to encourage a long customer life span.

CHALLENGES: The workouts are short but a little more complex than the follow-along workout videos most consumers are used to. So a lot of time was spent developing a dashboard and workout pages that were easy for new members to parse. We also had a lot of additional information we wanted to user to have easy access to - such as a workout calendar, inspiring quotes, educational resources, etc.

BOTTOM LINE: In the end we were able to create an engaging and effective UX that spanned from the home page of the website, through the purchase decision and subscription process and into the user dashboard and workout pages. Through it all we were able to capture the "quick and easy" nature of the BURSTCLub brand.

“Rob's my guy because he's fast, creative, and he really gets the user experience. We've used him for over 15 years on all kinds of projects - web development, graphic design, creative, music, audio production...you name it. He always brings something fresh and creative to the table. Highly recommend.”

Ian Moquist
Owner, Integrated Ad Network
Minneapolis, MN

"Rob’s UX design work not only looks amazing, the revenue from our e-comm site has more than doubled since we’ve been working with him. He’s also helped us build our Playback Control brand - including a custom iPad app to control it - which is being used by the likes of Aerosmith, Kenny Chesney, and Motley Crue."

Lance Wascom
CEO, Tour Supply
Nashville, NY, LA, London

"Rob has a passion for what he does and its contagious. In him I see a great instinct for business and people, an incredible work ethic, and a tireless devotion to (and focus on) the experience of the end user."

John C Reed
Lead Investor, FranktownRocks.com

"You were very responsive to our needs and just seemed to 'get it' from day one. The depth of UX knowledge you brought to our projects was amazing. It added so much value to our brand. Thank you!”